In Marion Richardson: Her Life and Her Contribution to Handwriting, Rosemary Sassoon’s recognizes Richardson’s groundbreaking contribution to the freeing of the teaching of child art and her two handwriting schemes – the main one based on her observations of children’s pattern paintings and the natural movement of young children’s hands. In both areas of her work she changed attitudes worldwide. The book promotes the value and creativity of child art and writing viewed as a natural progression from pattern. Sassoon focuses on Richardson’s personal life and character, and is fully illustrated. It is based partly on her own writing, with letters and personal recollections from those who knew her, worked with her, her students and those who carried on her work and kept her legacy alive after her death. It deals with how she developed her techniques of encouraging children to express their creativity in art freeing them from the prevailing strictures. Much original research has been undertaken for this section, with the help of archivists in several major libraries. Searches reveal that the handwriting archives have previously not been considered as important as the art aspects so have often not even been catalogued. This will mean that many facts are emerging that have not been known before. The volume benefits from illustrations from her schemes and numerous handwriting examples.

Chapter titles

Acknowledgements

Part 1 Marion Richardson: her life

Childhood

An art student

Teaching at Dudley Girls’ High School

Her complex character

London and new challenges

The last years

Part 2 Marion Richardson’s contribution to handwriting

Handwriting at the beginning of the twentieth century

The development of print script

The development of the Dudley Writing Cards

Details of the scheme

The development of Writing & Writing Patterns

Writing & Writing Patterns

Comments on Writing & Writing Patterns

The legacy

Postscript

Bibliography

Index

Reviews

'"Rosemary Sassoon's interest in, and support for, the work of Marion Richardson glows from the pages of her latest well illustrated book and makes an interesting read for anyone who cares about the art of handwriting."' – Michael Woods